Mousy
by Catherine Lindner
Summary: Spoiler Alert! Story may contain countless spoilers to those who has just started in on the books. Sorry. Mousy, the daughter of a shadowhunter father and witch mother, has begun to develop magical skills at a surprisingly early age. Fearing Shadowhunter retaliation, Mousy is sent to the High Warlock of Brooklyn for safety and to learn how to use her magical gift. During which time
1. Prologue

I always knew they would find me. SO many times they have nearly found me, this day was soon to come. As I fear I will not get another chance to tell my story, I might as well start from the beginning.

I was born within the gates of the Glass City to a pair of shadowhunters. My father was a strong and great fighter, teaching my brothers and later me all that he knew. My mother, the strongest person I knew, stood by his side till the very end. I remember it all very well.

Prologue

The girl ran as hard and fast as she could, her leg burning with pain from the wolf's bite as she made her way out of the forest. The wolf and her cubs were long gone, but the fear remained in the girl's mind, keeping her moving. The cubs were cute and she couldn't resist petting them, but she didn't know the mother was nearby. By the time the girl reached the door, her leg was covered in blood. Catching her breath, the girl reached up to knock on the door.

"Who dares to disturb me at this hour?" The man yelled as he opened the door, his hair finely combed, shirt and pants stiff and clean as if they were just thrown on after ironing. His gaze moved down the doorway until he caught sight of the girl, crumbled on his front step and shivering. Almost instantly, his demeanor changed and he bent down to face her. "Child, what has happened? Come, let me take care of your wounds."

"There was a wolf. I thought it was friendly, but it wasn't." She replied as he picked her up and carried her inside.

There in his living room, he set her down and started on working on her leg. It was shredded where the wolf's teeth had taken hold, and she was losing more blood than normal with the wound. The teeth cut clean, straight down to the girl's bones and cracked the ankle joints. Without taking a second look, the man became worried.

"Warlock Fell, am I going to be okay?" The girl asked as he moved to grab a pen and paper.

"Child, your parents are going to be alerted that you will be remaining in my care for a month, I must watch over this injury and ensure that a natural wolf was what bit you. Other than that, repairing your limb will be simple for me." Warlock Fell answered as the pen began to move across the page on its own, writing out the letter to her parents before folding itself up and flying out the door.

Almost as soon as the letter was out the door, Warlock Fell started working on the girl's leg. With all the damage the wolf had done, he was not sure the injury would heal evenly, or completely. "Child, I pray, what is your name?" He asked as a beam of light seemed to come from his hands. The light glowed around her leg and she watched as tissues and ligaments began to piece themselves back together.

"Trace, I'm Trace Nightshadow. We are next door neighbors." The child replied with a look of awe in her eyes.

"Yes, I am aware of where your house is." Warlock Fell sighed as the last of her leg was stitched back together. "This will scar and there's nothing I can do about that."

Trace nodded and looked up at him, "Why can't I go home? If it truly was a werewolf, as you fear, I would be sent home and closely watched when the next moon would hit; but you are keeping me here instead."

Warlock Fell's gaze made its way to her eyes, the young girl's crystal blue eyes with the flecks of white and silver shining through. He never answered her, instead he opened a portal to a different place. One of loud music and sounds of hundreds of people rushing past. "Come with me. You will be safe, as long as you listen and obey what you're told." Warlock Fell replied as he took her hand and led her into the portal.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

My name has been Mouse since he took me in. For the safety of my life, I was to never speak of the beautiful glass city that I once knew as home. Everything about my life there was to be forgotten, with no explanation other than that it was for my own good. Magnus remained worried about me, about someone finding me. It wasn't until I was in my twenties that I first was almost discovered.

"Mouse, can you work on the décor? It's lacking something." Magnus asked as he struggled to fix the tie around his neck just right. The action had made me laugh, no matter how many times he tried, it was never right.

"Why are you so nervous? Everything is find." I replied as I flicked my fingers at the tie. Moving easily around itself, the tie quickly formed the perfect knot that Magnus always desired. "This is just another party, right?"

"Right, another party, just one with the other High Warlocks coming by." Magnus muttered to himself before looking at me. "You are forbidden from any magic tonight. You are to simply…"

"Simply be one of the Mundane, I know." I cut him off as someone knocked on the door. I gave Magnus a quick bow before moving behind the bar table.

My role for his parties was always to serve the drinks. To make sure the guests were well fed and to keep the drinks full. No one ever went home hungry or thirsty from his parties. I was used to being forgotten when the guests went home, until they happened.

I knew as soon as the rune knocked out the doorman that Shadowhunters were here and crashing the party. I was never more thankful for the magical connection Magnus and I have.

Magnus, hunters at the door. I told him telepathically as four Shadowhunters walked in.

Stay at the bar. He replied as I felt his presence come by.

I never found out why the one girl was there, but the mundane they were with came right up to bar. His name, I learned, was Simon, and he didn't seem to belong there with the others. I like talking to him, but he seemed so distracted by all of Magnus's other guests, that even I missed the transforming liquid being mixed into his drink. With a clash, the glass hit the floor, and the shadowhunters ran to get the girl from Magnus's office.

From the moment the four of them entered the home, I felt something was odd about one of them. He had caught Magnus's eye as well and maybe that was what bothered me so much about the years that followed.

Two Months Later:

"Mouse, Alexander is coming by." Magnus told me through the door as I got changed for the day. My outfit of choice was typical for an apprentice; crushed red velvet Victorian styled with black lace hooded shirt that due to my young age fit more like a dress, paired with a slim pair of black cotton skinny jeans and black heels.

"So you're asking me to disappear for the day?" I answered as I opened the door. "Works for me. I'm going to the Planetarium, and please start calling him Alex like everyone else. I couldn't tell if the startled look was because of what I said or because I was in my magical garb, but something seemed to surprise him.

"Mouse," Magnus started to say something as the door opened.

"Too late. You're going to have to tell him about me eventually. As your apprentice, I'm going to be in your life as much as he is. He deserves to know why you have someone staying here. Unless you want to keep me a secret from everyone." I told him as I headed down the hall toward the front room. I could feel the shadowhunter getting closer as I spoke and I lowered my voice.

"Magnus?" Alexeander asked as he came around the corner. The boy, smart as he was, stopped dead when his eyes found me.

"Thank you for your help, Warlock Bane, I can only assume to resume our friendship some other time." I said as I pushed passed the boy.

I wasn't sure if my words would hurt Magnus, but he was kicking me out for a boy. A Shadowhunter boy of all things. The age difference of the two had never bothered me, nor had the relationship ever crossed Magnus's vow with me. Something about them, something about that particular boy bothered me. I could never tell what it was. Shadowhunters never bothered me. They had moments when they got on my nerves. All their rules and laws, but they never truly bothered me. I wasn't one of them. At least, I didn't know I was. Since the day Magnus took me in, I had no memories of my shadowhunter life. If only it had stayed that way.

As I walked out the door that day, I did not know what a mistake I was making. Too many years had passed since my disappearance form the Galss City. The Shadowhunter council, the Clace, had grown weary with the lack of a body. It would be another year before I would find out what truly happened ot my family, but for now I walk the streets of Brooklyn. Waiting and watching the busy underground through the thin material of the crimson red hood.

That was when I saw it. The symbol of my birth, stamped on a Wanted poster. My birthmark on my wrist and ankle, drawn perfectly on poster printed with the words:

'Beware the Nightshadows'

What did my family's crest have to do with these Nightshadow people? My thoughts went crazy trying to find an answer from the empty poster.

"Apparently, the whole family went against the Clave. They are all rogue Shadowhunters now. Rumor has it, they kill without cause or reason and are to be turned in immediately." A vampire said as he walked up to the poster with me.

"How long has the poster been here? " I asked. I couldn't remember seeing it before and he seemed to know a lot about it.

"Simon!" Someone called, making me turn toward the door.

"Simon?" I asked as the vampire started to make his way to a tall brunette shadowhunter with similar features as Alex. "Shit." I had been too focused on the poster, I didn't even notice her come by, or recognize the vampire standing next to me.

"Sorry, Izzy, I was just talking to this girl." Simon said as he turned to point at me.

Taking a deep breath, I walked up to them. The gem at her neck began to shine brighter as I moved closer, lighting the dark underground tunnel. I pulled at the hood just slightly until it began to cover my eyes.

"I mean no harm, I only seek information." I said, giving a soft short bow. They have the power to kill me, I reminded myself as I considered the possibility I could kill them first. Had I really been afraid of them, I probably wouldn't have dared to approach.

"What does a witch need to know about our problems?" Izzy replied with a sharp tongue.

"The meaning of that symbol. The rune placed on the poster. What does it mean?" I pressed, I didn't care how much trouble I would get into with Magnus, I needed to know and dammit, she was going to tell me.

"It's a modified version of the Angelic rune. You see, if you take this slash out of the middle, the Angelic rune sticks out, but the slash makes the base look like an eye. As far as anyone knows, it's the symbol of the Nightshadows." Izzy looked over the poster, her hand covering the slash before turning back to me. "I feel like I've seen you before."

"Not possible, for I would remember someone with your looks and demeanor." I replied as I started to walk away. "Thanks for the info. Glad to know how useless it was."

By the time I arrived back at the house, Alec was gone. Magnus looked like he was on his fourth or fifth drink when I walked in.

"We don't manifest the alcohol just so you can marinate in it." I commented as I headed back to my room.

"Young Lady, where have you been?" Magnus called from the kitchen.

"The Planetarium, like I said I would be." I yelled back, knowing that no matter how loud I yelled the neighbors would never hear me through the sound proof walls.

"Mousy, I do not appreciate being lied to after all these years. Why were you underground?" Magnus asked, his drunk-self leaning against the frame of my doorway. Even though he was as sober as a leaf, he didn't look it. It took a lot of alcohol to make magicians drunk.

"Like you would have even noticed with Alec around." I replied as I started to put my things away.

"Mousy, I know that you don't like having to have this life. I understand that. However, it is what we must do in order to protect you from the people that killed your parents and that are still searching for you. I am sorry that this is hard on you, but there is no other alternative at the moment." Magnus turned and stood up a little wobbly from his chair, managing to keep his balance, and walked over to my door. "I swore I would take you in and help to protect you from that. I'm not about to change that."

"Magnus, it just seems that with Alec coming by; either he's going to figure out about me and whatever it is that happened in my past that you don't want to talk about, or one of us is going to have to tell him." I replied, looking out the shaded, magically guarded, and tinted window. "I just hope that we can figure something out that works, because he can't just start coming by on his own. He might catch me here way too often."

"The time to talk about that is not now. Now, you need to get something to eat and I need to detox. Go. There's a pizza in the kitchen just the way you like it." Magnus said as he shifted his weight off the door and started off toward his room.

"Magnus, can I ask you something?" I asked as I headed after him. "I want to know anything and everything you know about a family called the Nightshadows, and if I don't get the answer from you, I'm going to start asking around. Starting with a vampire I may have befriended by mistake."

Something in Magnus made him go rigid. As if I had stuck an icicle down his pants and dropped it. I don't know what it was, asking about the Nightshadows or befriending the vampire that caused the reaction, but Magnus just turned to look at me for a moment, sadness and anger flashing in his eyes as they stared down at me. Then, as he often did when I had upset him somehow, he stalked off to his room, shaking his head, and closed the door.

Without giving him a second chance to come out and talk, I made my way to the kitchen and found the triple cheese, pepperoni and sausage pizza sitting still steaming from the oven's heat. The pure thought of the taste of a slice made my mouth water and my stomach start to growl. Had I really gone all day without a meal again? I couldn't be sure, walking over and pulling a slice.

The Nightshadows seemed to be a main topic in the under city. Someone knew something about them, so surely Magnus or Simon would know. I didn't really want to run the risk of running into the shadowhunter girl that always seemed to hang around Simon, but I wanted to know what was going on. I'd been through Magnus' library from top to bottom, reading every book and absorbing all the information I could from them. Nowhere in the vast thousands of books Magnus owned on histories of the creatures walking the Earth had there ever been any mention of the Nightshadow family, or of their crimes. Was it possible the family had only recently committed their crimes, thus Magnus hasn't had a chance to locate a book on the subject since no such record has been made yet? I wasn't totally sure, but I had to find out what happened and what my family's birthmark symbol has to do with it all.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The library remained the one place of solitude in Magnus' home for me. Since technically it wasn't part of the main house, any witch or wizard with Magnus' permission could enter as they pleased, going through the books and encyclopedias of ancient histories long past. Every book in the library was either part of Magnus' personal textbook collection for beginning mages, or a general log of events from various wars and battles. I could spend hours reading through the pages and live through centuries of tales in a single day. There was one book, however, that Magnus forbad me to ever look at. One that he had acquired shortly after I was in his care. A young mage had wrote it, her penmanship marking the highest paper of the time, each curve of the letters specifically depicted for that page just as carefully and exquisitely as the choice of binding and color of the leather. Etched with a very precise hand over the cover was simply one name. Valentine.

I had once asked Magnus what was inside the book, what history or battle took place for it to exist. He would always simply hang his head a little lower and say not to mention it again. Yet here I stood, looking down at the golden lettering of the cover, longing to reach past its glass caging and capture its knowledge. Five minutes and it would be back in the case, Magnus wouldn't even have to know. Except for the fact that Magnus was unfortunately the High Warlock of Brooklyn. Surely, somehow he would have the book's case sealed with a spell, something to alert him if it were to ever be opened or touched. I'd have to find a way to crack the spell, or find someone who knows what it contains.

"I wouldn't do that, Magnus doesn't like anyone touching that book." Someone called from behind me, making every part of my soul jump. How could I have been so careless to let someone walk up on me undetected?

"Yes, I'm aware of that fact just as much as the next mage that walks in here." I replied as I turned to see who was addressing me. Standing in the shadows of the nearby bookcase stood a taller young gentleman with dark blonde, almost brown, hair with bangs that brushed past the edge of his nose and parted his eyes. His black velvet button-down shirt fitted seamlessly into his black trousers blended quickly with the shadows playing across the room. "Now may I ask whom I'm speaking with?"

I couldn't help but notice the magickal etchings along the top of his boots where the pants were tucked in. Each one symbolizing a different aspect of the world and it's order; water, earth, air, fire, even life and death. I wondered how old the mage was, but didn't dare to ask such an odd question so soon in our meeting. He smiled as my gaze meet his again and moved a step closer, coming out of the shadows and opening himself up to me a tad bit more.

"My given name is Airis, formally Airis Riss .I've been a good friend of Lord Bane's for some extended time now. How about yourself, Miss Mage?" His words struck me so odd that I almost couldn't reply. For once in my lifetime, I stood in-front of a properly raised Mage who spoke so easily to in the old tongue that I almost forgot who I was.

"Sire, the name is Mousy, formally Mouse E, how merry it is to make your acquaintance." My words sounds foreign to my own ears as I spoke, shedding a small innocent smile back to him.

"Mouse, very pretty name there. May our friendship blossom with the meadows in the spring." Airis closed the distance between us, his golden brown eyes watching my every move. I stepped back a bit before looking him dead in the face.

"Only a friendship grown in the fall of the morning leave may sprout out of the snow of winter." I told Airis, moving back to the book sealed in its case. "I just want to know what Lord Bane has as knowledge of those days. They pertain to a particular subject I have begun to research and I see no better source at the moment I, however, know for a fact that Lord Bane would not grant me permission to access its pages, nor tell me himself of the knowledge; as I have tried to ask previously in my days."

"Has thou thought of speaking with a particular routine customer of the Bone House night club?" Airis suggested, moving to my side with a hand lightly placed at my back. "There's a coven that owns the club, they let all enter as long as peace is assured. There's a Shadowhunter who may know what you seek. I could take you and let you in, if you would allow me to escort you there tonight?"

"Lord Riss, I would love to have that chance. I have an appointment to speak with Lord Bane on my progress in this search around sun-down if you would meet me there after?" I replied, my smile for once not betrayed by my true feelings. I finally had a chance to find out what happened the day my parents disappeared. I just had to act like a normal new mage in front of a Shadowhunter. What could possibly go wrong?

"Tonight, my Lady, would not do. As I have to advice my coven leader on a very important move before our coven meeting tomorrow. However, if you would be willing to follow me to the meeting afterward, I would be pleased to take you then." Airis tilted his head down a bit to look at me, reminding me of our height difference for the first time since we started talking.

"I believe I can make that work. I had plans to go see a friend play tonight with his band anyway. Thank you for the information and the help, Lord Riss." I told him as I started to make my way back outside.

"Lady Mouse, please be careful with your company. He is not a typical vampire and should be dealt with high caution." Airis' voice seemed to chase after me as I walked, stopping me in my tracks. "If you didn't want someone to see you with him, you shouldn't have meet him in such a public place."

"I will keep that in mind. Blessed Be, Airis Riss, may the wind forever share your thoughts and guide your wills." I quickly bowed and left, the guard at the front door to the library had changed by now, telling me I had spent at least an hour or two there. I had about thirty minutes left before Simon would take the stage with his band and about 2 hours before the crowd would let him get a break. Taking the common streets would be out of the question, but should I risk the mage tunnels? Every witch and wizard of every level traveled them, it was easy to get caught down there without protection and I wasn't supposed to exist in the world yet. Taking in a deep breath, I jumped into the tunnels and tried to travel quickly. I'd left my cloak at home and couldn't conceal myself well enough to be invisible.

"Good evening, Priestess." A female witch bowed as I passed her.

What! Move Faster! I told myself as I began to flash step. This is why you are not to be seen. Not to be noticed. You have no title, no rights. Magnus is going to kill me. I knew mages could tell each if another's strength level was higher than theirs, but not exactly what level they were. Yet, here were mages of all levels greeting me with my future titles as if I had them already. Yep, Magnus is definitely going to kill me… I thought as I almost ran into one of the Warlock council members.

"My apologies, Madam, may you have a pleasant evening out." I said as I slipped past the elderly woman. I didn't even make it two steps before her hand was on my shoulder.

"Child, stop for a moment. Let me see you." The elderly woman exclaimed as she spun me around to look at her. My blue eyes locked on hers for a moment, just long enough for the respect instincts to kick in and I bowed my head quickly. "You're the new mage in town, aren't you? Staying there with Magnus till you find our own place?"

"Yes, ma'am. Lord Bane has been very gentle and kind towards me in my current predicament; and if you may grant my leave, I am irresponsibly behind in a few duties at the moment." I replied, hoping her grace would let me leave before asking too much.

"One of the highest mages in the city comes out into the light and she thinks I'm just going to let her leave?" She replied with a laugh. "If you promise to come by my home tomorrow around high-sun, I'll grant you permission to scurry on without any more pause."

I smiled to her and nodded before bowing. "Of course, ma'am. I wouldn't think of a more pleasurable arrangement."

"Then be gone from my sight, child." The elderly woman waved me off and turned around. I ran as fast as I possibly could without a second thought.

I made it to the club about ten minutes later and sighed. A meeting with the council woman was a bad idea, but I had to go or risk being hunted by the shadowhunters again. I could only hope that I would get enough out of Simon to suffice for now.

The ushers of the club almost wouldn't let me in, as if I needed another issue tonight. With a sigh, I whispered a simple fire-light spell in the palm of my hand. Fire sprout up and circled itself, flowing easily from my palm to my fingertips and forming a small sturdy ball in midair. Without a second thought, the ushers opened the door and smiled at me. I made eye contact with Simon on stage as I walked in and took a seat at the bar. I could wait till he came off stage now and relax a bit.

"You must be the special little lady Simon's been waiting for." The bartender made his way over to me, wiping down a glass. "He's been waiting for a young lady to come watch him play since they started here. What should I get you?"

"Let's start with a coke and I'll tell you from there." I replied with a smile. So, he's been expecting me?

"Of course," he said as the music slowed to a stop. I watched him carefully as he reached for a can behind him and slid it over to me. "Must be new to town."

"No, in fact I've been here for a while." I replied as my hand caught the coke, the cold metal slamming into the palm of my hand. With a couple of tabs to the lid, I carefully opened it hearing the iconic pop of the soda can. "I just don't get out a lot and really hate alcohol."

"Well then, we seem to have a similarity in ideals. My name is Blake, by the way." The Bartender smiled once more before moving to take care of a couple of already too drunk twenty-something year old girls at the other end of the bar.

"Nice to meet you too, Blake." I whispered as I turned to face the stage, leaning my elbows against the bar edge. "I'm just meeting a whole stream of new people today, huh."

It wasn't for another three cokes before Simon came to meet me at the bar. The band wasn't half bad, as I had feared. In fact, I would probably have produced them if I was a record producer. As Simon walked off stage, I turned back around to Blake. "Thanks for the company."

"Stay peaceful and I don't have a problem with keeping you company." Blake replied as Simon slipped into the bar stool next to me. "Simon, how do you want it tonight? Soda or koolaid?"

"Koolaid, please." Simon replied as he turned to me. "I'm very pleased that you have managed to track me down and graced me with your presence. May I ask why you are here, however?"

"After you receive your Koolaid, I'd like to have a conversation outside. Somewhere more quiet and peaceful to speak of difficult subjects. Such a conversation would be ill advised here, I think." I replied, taking a sip of my coke and leaning back against the bar.

"Of course, my lady. Blake, stir the Koolaid a bit longer, I'll drink it warm tonight." With a sigh from Blake, Simon got up and took my hand, leading me out into the alleyway. "Now, what might you need to speak of so desperately that you would be alone with a vampire?"

"Nightshadows, what do you really know about them. Don't hold back, I need to know everything." I rambled, trying to pick my words carefully so not to alert him. "I'm working on a project and their last name keeps popping up. I need to know what I can in order to correctly make plans for the project. I don't want anything to go wrong. You, of all people, should know how touchy magic is."

"I truly with I could help you, my dear, but you see. I'm too new to this world to know what really went on. I've heard that there's this story following that name." Simon leaded against the brick wall of the club, pausing to let me take in every word he had just said. "The story however, goes something like this.

The Nightshadows were a prominent and prestigious family in the Shadowhunter world. The father was high up in the council of elders that they call the Clave, where the mother was nothing more than a home wife, taking care of the three children. The family was well known and preserved as soon to be a prophetic family after the mother bore a high-powered female child whom had, before the age of six, preceded further in training to use the Runes and intelligence than that of her brothers. The family, however, was found to be in assistance with a horrible man, and thus the family was convicted by the Clave they worked for. Their sentence was to be locked away in their home, the daughter was to be escorted to the Clave's grounds and separated from the family.

She was to become the 'Princess of the Clave', a title only given to that child as she was to learn every bit of information on every Shadowhunter and war, everything in the histories of the Shadowhunters, as well as everything there was in the Clave's knowledge of the other races. She would be the library of the Shadowhunter's world. The Judge, but not the Jury. Unfortunately, a man named Valentine rose up against the Clave in a war between Shadowhunters. This war begun before anyone realized, and the Nightshadow family perished in the burning flames of their old home."

"Why wouldn't the family have fled the home? Why would they have stayed there and died? Don't Shadowhunters fight till the death?" I asked, wanting to claw the vampire apart until I had the answers I needed. "That just doesn't seem like true Shadowhunter actions to me."

"Unless, of course, the family was cursed and would have died far worse deaths if they had left the home." Simon replied, moving a bit closer to me. "Now, what is this project that you are working so intently on that would lead you to such a rumor?"

I backed up, the heel of my black boots sliding against the bricks on the wall. Simon wouldn't hurt me. He's not that kind of vampire. I tried to tell myself, trying to relax. Unless, of course, he hasn't drank all day… "I'm doing research on the Valentine war and the Nightshadow posters go up a day later. It's a bit suspicious to me and I want to know. If a family burned in the fire during the war, why are the Clave still worried about them?"

"Didn't you hear me? The daughter didn't burn with them. She's been missing ever since the war started." Simon sighed as he moved the hover over me, his height reminding me of how much I hated being short, and started to whisper. "The family claimed a Clave member came and took her to the Clave grounds, but she wasn't in any of the rooms. No one has seen her since the girl was about six years old. I suppose the Clave believes that the child somehow survived on her own for years and has now had children, hence the posters. But you would have to ask a current Shadowhunter for that."

"I can't talk to Shadowhunters." I told him, sliding out from under his arm and moving closer to the door. "Shadowhunters and I don't get along well. It wouldn't be a pretty sight."

Someone opened the stage door Simon had led me out of and looked out before making eye contact with him. "Simon, the bands waiting on you and your Koolaid wont get any warmer." Blake called to him, swinging the door open enough for me to slide by. "Plus, the little miss owes me for her drinks."

"Put her drinks on my tab, Blake, and I'm on my way in." Simon replied, but Blake didn't go anywhere. "We should get back inside anyway. Alleys aren't safe in the dark."

Blake nodded as I walked past, but kept his eyes on Simon, something was whispered as he re-entered the building, but I was too far away to hear it clearly enough. Blake kindly walked me back over to the bar and started to take care of the guests again, as if nothing had happened. It wasn't until he slid a new coke into my hand that I realized I was shaking.

"I'm okay." I told him, half trying to convince him, half trying to convince myself.

"Dear, I know Simon enough to know you aren't hurt, but that doesn't mean you aren't okay." Blake took my shoulders and spun me around on the bar stool till I faced him. "You sure that you are okay? Cause the shaking and the scared look on your face says otherwise."

"Blake, I'm fine. I just found out some information that I didn't really want to hear." My eyes closed as I spoke. Could I trust him enough to tell him what is truly wrong? My parents burned to death because of a war. The Clave burned my parents with a curse. And yet, the information seemed to be normal somehow. Like I knew that that was how the Clave always was. "I'm just going to stay away from the Shadowhunters for a while. Hope everything dies down before I see one."

"Then you might want to disappear, cause Simon's girlfriend just walked in, and the girl's the most well-known Shadowhunter I've ever known." Blake whispered in my ear, handing me a coke for the road and almost pushing me off the stool.

Turning to the front door, I noticed the hunter he was talking about. Izzy walked in the door, clad in her normal skin-tight black clothes and watching Simon intently. So intently, I had to remind myself which one was the vampire in the relationship. I quickly turned back to Blake with a smile, "Thanks" I said as I bolted out the back door.

Close call. I told myself as I tried to catch my breath walking up to the door of Magnus' house. As if I hadn't had a horrible enough evening, the front door swung open without my touch. Damn, Magnus is still awake. I should have checked before walking up the drive..

"Come in here, right now, Young Lady." Magnus' voice echoed out as I stepped through the doorway, the door shutting with a soft slam right behind me.

"I'm home." I called out. Might as well cough it up. He probably already knows. "How was your day with Alec?"

"Don't bother with pleasantries. What were you doing Downtown? I thought you were going to study all night in the Library. Now I hear that you ran into a few other mages in the tunnels headed Downtown? In the tunnels where no one can truly hide the power level they have? Where someone can easily determine your strength?" Magnus yelled, the veins in his forehead pulsing horrifically with each word. "Mouse, you know why we don't ever take the tunnels. Why you can't be known in the magical world, or any world right now for that matter."

"Yes, master, but I needed to know something and that was the only way I could find out." I repented, trying to make him see my side somehow. "Magnus, The Clave is looking for Nightshadows. Calling them Traitors and destroyers. I have to know why!"

"Nightshadows? Who told you that name?" Magnus yelled sending the flames of the fireplace soaring into the night sky.

"I found a poster with the name printed. It read 'Beware the Nightshadows'. A vampire child named Simon told me that they were a Shadowhunter family that crossed the Clave and were killed in the war by a fire. Magnus, my birthmark was on that poster. Why?" I asked him, my voice calm and leveled, my hands down at my side, waiting for him to calm down and relax.

The fire inside Magnus' eyes died almost as soon as I asked my question. The look that replaced it, however, made me wish the fire would have stayed. His cat-like eyes peiring at me with such sadness and worry. "The Nightshadows are a complicated subject with you. I wasn't supposed to tell you anything until you could control yourself. However, I see you have decided to change that ruling. I'll tell you everything, but first, you must tell me what Simon told you and who you met today."


End file.
